


Escape the Night: Wicked Hallucinations

by Dede42



Series: Escape the Night Season 1 [11]
Category: Escape the Night (Web Series)
Genre: 1920s, Basement, Electric shock therapy, Electrocution, Masks, Plot Twists, Swamp Man, Zombies, green house
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2019-08-21
Packaged: 2020-08-20 23:41:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20236294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dede42/pseuds/Dede42
Summary: The group must help the fourth owner, who is a madman that suffers from violent hallucinations, and they must free him before sunrise. But who will die in order to help him?





	1. PROLOGUE: TRUE INSANITY?

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night!
> 
> It's time to start the next episode and help the next owner. Onward!

**PROLOGUE: TRUE INSANITY?**

*****

At the Rancho Los Amigos Hospital in the 1920s, a Dr. Price was hard at work, treating his patients with his new electric shock therapy, and he believed that he could cure them of their insanity with his new treatment.

So far, he’d had some success with some of his patients, making improvements with each patient, and he was ready to try it on a particular patient.

*****

Presently, Dr. Price was in his office with one of his more disturbed patients, a man named Vincent Wells, who had dark hair, dark eyes, and he was suffering from what he called visions that were filled with some _very_disturbing images that had resulted in at least one person dying because of one of his more violent visions.

Right now, Vincent was strapped to a chair on one side of the desk with wires running from the pads that’d been placed on his arms to a machine next to Dr. Price, and every time he failed to answer the way that the doctor wanted him to answer, he received an ever-increasing electrical shock.

*****

After adjusting the voltage on the machine, Dr. Price held up a Rorschach test that to some would think it was a bat, but Vincent was seeing something else altogether. “Now then, what do you see?”

“A house built by evil,” Vincent answered. “Devouring them- _AAHH!!_” He screamed when the doctor pushed a button and an electric shock was sent through the wires and into his body. After the electricity was turned off, he slumped in the chair, gasping and wheezing from the pain of the electric shock.

Setting the paper down, Dr. Price picked up a different one and showed it to his patient. “What about this one?” he asked, showing him what some would say looked like a mountain goat.

“It’s a monument of cursed mass,” Vincent answered, “and the one in the center is a human butcher-” he panicked when the doctor reached for the button. “Wait, please-” He screamed again when an another electrical shock shot through him, and when it stopped, he nearly face-planted on the desk. “Please stop,” he pleaded, looking up at the doctor while panting and sweat was beading across his forehead by this point. “I’m telling you the _truth. _It’s what I _see._”

“But it’s not what is _real,_” Dr. Price snapped, refusing to believe what his patient was seeing as truth, and he didn’t notice that Vincent was eying a nearby knife that was on the table. “You’re hallucinating. When you came in here, you thought you saw a man being eaten by a demon, so you pushed him into oncoming traffic.”

Vincent glared at the doctor. “You weren’t _there,_” he growled, regretting what he’d done to that man, but when he had a vision, he didn’t really have any control over what he did while in its’ grips. “I’m telling you the tru-” and he screamed when the button was pushed once again, the electricity coursing through his body until it was stopped, and he slumped in the chair, wheezing from the pain once again.

“We can do this as long as it takes,” Dr. Price said sadly, turning up the voltage on the machine to a much higher setting, and he was unaware that the patient was freeing himself from the chair. “What do you see with this one?” he asked, turning back and raising another test.

Vincent, however, grabbed the knife and stabbed the doctor in the chest before fleeing the room, and later the sanatorium itself, somehow avoiding the security guards that were looking for him.

*****

Leaving the city far behind, Vincent ran barefooted through the night, avoiding the roads, and made his way through the woods until he came upon a certain estate with a certain house. He ran across the grounds and up the stairs until he was on the front porch.

It was only when Vincent stopped to catch his breath that he got a good look of the place and he somehow was able to recognize it.

“I know this place,” he whispered and then he went inside, unaware that this house had it’s own evil plans for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Vincent, he has NO idea of what os waiting for him in that house. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	2. CHAPTER ONE: THE FOURTH OWNER

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night!
> 
> It's time for the group to locate the next owner. Onward!

**CHAPTER ONE: THE FOURTH OWNER**

*****

Instead of finding the next owner, the survivors retreated into the secret dinning room, where Oli, Eva, Dawn, and Lele were sitting while Joey and Benny were standing behind them. Light was starting to come through the windows behind them, and they knew that they were running out of time. If the sun rose before they freed the two remaining owners and sealed the evil away with the ritual, they would be stuck in the 1920s forever.

“And then there were six of us,” Joey said, breaking the silence.

“Guys,” Lele said, pointing to the windows. “The light is coming in. It's almost morning. You know what that means."

“Yeah, we’re running out of time,” said Dawn, feeling dejected for the first time since this madness started.

"It means we're all gonna die," Eva moaned.

"We're _not,_” Oli insisted, surprising his friends. “We need to work faster, and we just need to get this over and done with. Okay?” And after they all agreed, he opened the journal, flipping through the pages until he found the entry for the next owner. “We need to look at this book and figure out what we need to do.”

Joey nodded and peered over his shoulder. “Who is it this time?” he asked.

Finding the right page, Oli began reading what the priest had written. “‘Vincent Welles is a madman’,” he read and they all made faces. Great, as if a mermaid and a WWI vet obsessed with gold weren’t bad enough, and the priest had been the sane one so far. “‘He sees impossible things – horrifying things. He would stare endlessly at lightbulbs. I never knew what he saw, but it seemed like he was trying to burn holes into his eyes. His sanity may be gone, but his heart is good. He hid something in the dining room, but I was never able to find it’.” He sighed and set the book down. “He sounds like a psycho.”

“Maybe, but he’s the next owner and we need to find him,” Benny pointed out.

Oli nodded and stood up. “We need to find something."

"What else did it say?" Joey asked, following him. "Anything?"

Oli ignored the question and was searching the room when he found something that hadn’t been there before. "Oh!" He grabbed a strange little box from a nearby desk. "What's this?"

"It has the symbol," Lele pointed out.

They gathered around the box, which was locked, and it had acombination. "There's four numbers," Oli remarked.

"Look, look!" Joey pointed. "There's colors. Black, grey, green, and yellow. I don't know what that means, but-"

“That's _blue!_” Lele snapped.

“There’s no need to be rude, Lele,” Dawn scolded her.

Eva stared at the lock, thinking, and then she remembered that lightbulbs had been mentioned in the journal entry. “The lightbulbs,” she announced. "Check the lightbulbs.”

*****

Leaving the dining room, they began the search for the correct lightbulbs, which wasn’t easy since there were lightbulbs everywhere, and just when Dawn and Joey were about to give up hope, Oli noticed that one of the lamps in the living room was off, and he was certain that it’d been on earlier.

“Guys?” he said and they all looked at him as he examined the lamp. “This lightbulb isn't on,” he informed them, removing the lamp shade, and found that the lightbulb had burned out. “And I _swear _this was always on.” He unscrewed the lightbulb and he gasped when he saw that the base was colored. “Oh! It’s yellow and there’s a number 1 on this.”

“We should find more of those,” Lele suggested, feeling hopeful again.

Oli nodded. “Yeah,” he agreed. “We need to find more lightbulbs.” And they spread out to search, with Lele finding another burnt out lightbulb that had the number 5 burned into the glass.

“I got the black one! It says 5.”

Joey and Dawn found a burnt out lightbulb at the same time, so they jointly claimed it. “It's the blue! With the number 2!”

“Just need one more,” Benny remarked.

Eva went to a lamp that had four lightbulbs, but only three of them were working. She quickly unscrewed the unlit on, and held it up. “Black,” she announced.

Lele was about to protest when she double-checked the lightbulb she’d found and saw that she had the color wrong. “I have…I have grey. Never mind.”

*****

They took the lightbulbs back to the dining room, where they set them down next to the box and checked the numbers: 1. 5. 2. 1. Matching the numbers to the colors, Joey put them into the lock, and it opened for him. “Stupid locks,” he muttered, but he was glad that they were a step closer to getting the hell out of that damn house. Opening the box, he took out a key that had a label saying “second floor” on it, and he lead the way out of the room. “Let’s go.”

*****

Reaching the second floor, Arthur gestured to a door that they hadn’t open yet, and Joey unlocked it with the key. They entered a large bedroom and it didn’t seem like there was anyone in there until they turned around and saw standing next to a full-length mirror, and wearing a straitjacket, was the man they were looking for.

He was a slightly bulky, primarily because of the straitjacket, man with pitch-black hair, a beard, and wild brown eyes, and he looked like he hadn't had a good night's sleep in weeks, which was something Joey could relate to. He was in a white straitjacket and he was staring intensely at the mirror, ignoring them.

“Vincent?” Oli asked uneasily, but the man ignored them, still staring at the mirror.

“I know how to talk to him,” Lele said confidently, approaching the lunatic, and she sweetened her voice with comfort and understanding. "Listen…honey…”

“Don't go near him!" Joey hissed, pulling her back. "I know _you've _probably been in a straitjacket, but-”

Lele shrugged off his hand and spoke to Vincent. “We're not here to hurt you,” she said in a reassuring tone.

“We like lightbulbs,” Eva added, hoping it would help.

Suddenly, Vincent screamed, scaring the group as he faced them, and he backed away, almost as if he’d only just realized that they were there. “Who are you?” he demanded, terrified. “How long have you been there?"

“We just got here,” Joey answered.

"Did the doctor send you?” Vincent asked fearfully. “Please, I told him everything I know, every last vision, _please!_”

"No, no, no," Lele said calmly, and suddenly, she wanted to give this guy a hug. "We're not here for that! We're not here for that. We're here to help."

“It’s true, we want to help,” Dawn agreed, hoping that if they all stayed calm, Vincent would stay calm, too.

"We're good guys," Joey agreed, also speaking calmly. "We're here to help you. Can you help us, though?”

Vincent stared at them for a long moment before taking a deep breath, calming himself down so that he could speak. “Be careful of this house,” he warned and winced a little, almost as if the evil was harming him for speaking. “When I first came here, I thought it was gonna be like the home I never had. I thought I would show the world that what I see is real. But this house…" He looked like he was about to cry. "This house has become a dark, unfriendly place that has _locked _me in this straitjacket…so I never leave it.”

“The house is trying to trap us, too,” Dawn agreed, which got Vincent to look at her. “We’ve been tricked, and if you can help us, then we can all get out of here for good.”

For the first time in a long time, Vincent felt hope growing inside him, for there was something about the brunette that made him want to believe her and, to him, it seemed as if there was a Light about her, calling out to him, and then he startled the group by arguing with himself for several seconds. “Tell them about the keys, Vincent. I _know, _give me a moment, tell them about the _keys! _Okay! I will!”

“Where are the keys?” Oli asked.

Hearing the question, Vincent was able to focus again, but it was clear that his grip on reality was already starting to slip again. “There are three keys that are needed to unlock this jacket," he explained, showing them the locks on the back of the straitjacket, and his voice was coming out in a series of breathless bursts. "But…you're gonna have to dive inside my hallucinations to find them. If you go to the landing, there's an ink blot card. It'll show you to my most _vivid _hallucinations. Please…"

"We will," Lele whispered, trying not to cry. "We will."

Vincent suddenly tensed up, his eyes going wide with fear. "You have to go now, go _now,” _he insisted. “I'm getting a vision, you _don't _want to be here for much longer, go, please, _go!_”

Everyone ran for the door, and Lele followed, but she made sure to shout a few last words of encouragement over her shoulder. "We'll be back, okay? We'll find the keys! We'll get you out of here!”

“Thank you,” Vincent whispered before he was overwhelmed by the hallucination, and he screamed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor, Vincent, I hope they can help him get his freedom. I will see you all tomorrow with the next chapter. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	3. CHAPTER TWO: FIRST HALLUCINATION PART ONE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night!
> 
> It's time for the next chapter and for the survivors to go into the first hallucination. What will they find when they enter it? Time to find out. Onward!

**CHAPTER TWO: FIRST HALLUCINATION PART ONE**

*****

The group hurried back into the hallway so that they could find the ink blot test that Vincent had mentioned, but the question was _which _landing was it on?

“Landing? What's the landing?” Joey wondered as they headed for the stairs. “What was he talking about? What landing? Down there? Up here?"

"I don't know," Eva admitted. "An airplane landing? Do we _have _airplanes here?”

“After everything we’ve encountered tonight, I wouldn’t be surprised,” Dawn grumbled.

Lele noticed a small desk near the stairs and on it was a box. “Guys,” she said, reaching for it as her friends gathered around her. She opened the box and took out an ink blot test.

“That’s it,” said Oli. “What does it say?”

Lele unfolded the paper to reveal that there was a map on it. “Ok,” she said, pointing to a spot on the man. “It says here that the first hallucination is at… Here. The greenhouse.”

“Not outside _again_,” Oli groaned.

“Let's go," Joey said and he started down the stairs with Dawn and the others quickly following. "I'll take you there. I know where it is. Come on.”

*****

They exited through the back door, along the porch, down a flight of stairs, and they went down a path. As they went down the path, they all felt a tingling sensation that probably meant that they’d just entered the first hallucination, and none of them were sure of what they were going to find when they got to the greenhouse.

*****

When the group reached the greenhouse, they all hesitated, staring at the greenhouse, which was made out of white cloth.

“What do you think's in here?" Joey wondered, fiddling with his collar.

“Probably something that’s gonna kill us,” Benny guessed.

Joey stepped forward and gripped the doorknob, glancing at the group. “Ready?” he asked and while Eva, Dawn, Benny, and Oli all shook her heads, Lele was the only one looking excited. He turned the knob and open the door to reveal a normal-looking greenhouse that was filled with plants. As they walked through the greenhouse, they all had to avoid stumbling over the roots that were growing out of some of the pots.

Reaching the back of the greenhouse, Joey found a clipboard with papers on it, and he picked it up. “Look over here, guys,” he said and they gathered as he flipped to the first page, which had a photo of a plant on it. “Aloe vera…”

“Yeah,” Eva remarked. “That’s a plant.”

“Oh,” said Joey, finding more plants and their names on the other pages. “This is just, like, explaining the different plants.”

“Let’s look for clues,” Dawn suggested, and they all began looking around greenhouse, especially since they didn’t know when something bad would happen.

Joey put down the clipboard and began rifling through one of the leaves of a nearby plant with Dawn, searching for _anything _that could help them find the first key. “Look for something that…like…" And then, just as he pulled a strange object out of the leaves, he paled when he realized what it was. "Holy crap!" He dropped his prize. "There's a freakin' _skull_!”

“Oh gross!” Dawn yelped, jumping away from the dirt-covered skull. “Oh gross! Oh gross!”

“Hold on!" Oli called from the other side of the greenhouse. "I've got something!” He held up a small book he’d found on a table and the others hurried over. He started to open the book when the most disgusting-looking hand he’d ever seen smashed through the wall, reaching for him, and he jumped away with a scream as the fabric torn even more and he could also see the face, which was green and _very _deformed. “What the flipping hell?!?”

Lele stared at the creature that was growling and trying to reach for them. “Is that a _zombie_?”

“Not _another _zombie,” Dawn moaned as they kept their distance from the zombie that was trying to rip through the fabric wall to get at them.

“Right…uh…” Oli stammered and focused his attention on the book, opening it, and he found a clue. “Listen! Listen!” And he started reading over the growls of the zombie. “‘I believe there is a way to merge plants and flesh to create an entirely new species: a swamp man. I made a mistake with my first subject and created an abomination, which I must soon destroy before it destroys me. I've devised a new method for burying the flesh so it merges with the root system of the plants. In order for this method to work, one must unearth the body parts that are scattered around this garden, then proceed to bury them in the compost that is on the side of the greenhouse’.”

Benny made a face at the thought of looking for dead body parts until he heard the roaring from the zombie as it moved around the outside of the greenhouse, trying to get in, and he was glad that he had the sense to lock the door behind them. “Ok, let’s start searching.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Great, another FREAKIN' zombie! Not something you want to trying to come after you when you're in a greenhouse made out of fabric. And they have to dig up body prats? Ewww!
> 
> I'll see you guys tomorrow with the next chapter. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	4. CHAPTER THREE: FIRST HALLUCINATION PART TWO

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night!
> 
> It's time to find the body parts to create the swamp man. But can they do it before the zombie breaks inside? Time to find out. Onward!

**CHAPTER THREE: FIRST HALLUCINATION PART TWO**

*****

Joey went back to get the plant guide and began reading off the names of plants for them to search for the body parts. “We need Romulus." He scanned each plant's nameplate before he finally found what he's looking for. "Romulus is over here! Okay. We have one of them.” And Dawn started digging through the dirt.

Lele was doing the same until she pulled something out, and she shrieked, tossing it so that it landed next to the skull. “A hand!”

“Ok,” said Oli, taking stock of what they’ve found so far. “We’ve got the head and a hand.”

“Let's put all the pieces together," Joey suggested, and they quickly used shovels to push the skull and the hand over near the compost heap.

The search continued and it wasn’t easy with the zombie trying to punch its’ way through the walls, scaring them every time this happen, and it was hard digging through the dirt. Joey was asking for a shovel when Dawn pulled something out from the pot she’d been digging in, and she yelped, throwing the hand over to the compost heap. “A second hand! Yuck! Yuck! Yuck!”

“Joey, what’s next?” Eva asked.

“Okay." Joey started scanning through the plant guide again. "Check it out." But before he could figure out what to do next, the zombie attacked the wall again, growling like a feral animal.

"He's getting angry!" Oli cried, and everyone started screaming at once.

"Omigod!" Eva shrieked.

"Piss off!" Oli shouted in the zombie's direction.

_‘Even if we find the key,’ _Joey thought uneasily. _‘We’ll still have to get past that thing when we get outside.’_

Eva was on her hands and knees, excavating the ground like a frantic bulldozer. "I'm digging!"

"Yes," Joey said, focusing on their mission and not the growling zombie. "Dig in here."

*****

After a few more minutes of digging, Joey, Dawn, and Oli found something. "We got it!" Joey shouted, yanking whatever-it-is out of the plant before he had the chance to look at it.

"Oh, well done!" Oli cheered. "All right, we got a foot…"

"A foot!" Joey dropped it on the pile in disgust. "Ewww!"

"Have you got anything?" Oli asked Lele.

She shook her head. "What else do we need?"

“What other plants are in that guide?” Benny asked.

Joey was trying to read the guidebook, but the plant names were becoming increasingly difficult for him to understand. "Abtenia Cortofolia?" He wrinkled his nose. "What _is _this language?”

“It’s Latin,” Dawn informed him.

“Ugh, my shoes,” Lele moaned, trying to get the dirt out of them without actually taking them off.

“I _hate _plants!” Oli complained. “I didn't even think you could hate plants, but I hate plants.”

The zombie roared again, ripping through one of the walls again, pawing at the air, and Joey finally lost his patience. “You know what?" He flings the guidebook aside. “_Screw _the freakin' plant! Just dig wherever you can! Destroy this _freakin' _greenhouse!"With that, he grabbed a potted plant and threw it.

"Ow!" Oli howled. "That landed on my head!"

"I'm sorry!” Joey apologized. “I'm just trying to freakin' hurry up!"

Oli grimaced, and then he went back to digging through the plants. "I am never helping my mum garden again.”

*****

It wasn’t long before Benny fond the final body part, which he quickly tossed onto the pile. “A freakin’ _hip bone!_” And they went to work on burying the body parts into the compost heap until they were completely covered.

“Right,” Oli said. “We’ve done it.”

“Is that all?” Joey wondered.

Before anyone could answer the question, the compost pile began glowing with a green light, and…was it _groaning?_

"Wait!" Lele shouted. "Guys!”

“What's happening?" Joey asked nervously.

Just then, an _actual swamp monster _came out of the compost pile! They all screamed and ran for the exit, deciding to risk the zombie after all, and they knocked over a number of plants in the process. “Get out of here! _Get the hell out__!_”

*****

Once they were outside, the group ran back toward the house, when the zombie appeared, and they fled behind several trees instead. The swamp monster came lumbering out of the greenhouse, heading toward them, and much to the surprise of the group, the zombie suddenly threw itself at the swamp monster’s chest.

“What is happening?” Joey asked, confused by what was going on.

“Are – are they fighting?” Dawn asked, surprised.

“It's like…bloody…zombie versus Yeti!” Oli exclaimed.

The zombie attempted to tackle the swamp man, but one quick punch from the latter's massive fist sent it sprawling onto the ground. Then, just for good measure, the newer monster picked up his challenger and tossed it around like a rag doll.

The group cheered as the swamp monster grabbed the zombie and punched him in the face a few times.

"He's _helping _us!" Joey exclaimed, thrilled that the swamp monster was on their side.

"Yeah," Lele agreed with a shrug. "I mean…we created him. Basically."

By now, their creation had achieved his first TKO, and the zombie was a lifeless heap on the ground. The swamp man smirked at the group, scooped up his fallen foe, flung it over his shoulder, and stomped away.

"WWE!" Oli cheered. "John Cena!"

"Where's he taking him?" Joey wondered.

Lele wrinkled her nose. "Is he gonna _eat _it? Wait. We need a key, right?"

Joey nodded. "Let's go see what he did." And they hurried back to where the fight had taken place.

"Wait." Eva reached a strange clump of dirt, and with the help of the shovel, she managed to dig something out of the clump. "Guys. _Guys!_”

They gathered around her. "Oh, wow," Oli muttered, examining the object in Eva's hand after brushing off the remaining dirt. "The key!”

They had the first key and they were now one step closer to freeing Vincent. And that also meant that they were also one step closer to getting out of the house and back to 2016.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Swamp man: 10 Zombie: 0.
> 
> They have the first key and are one step closer to freeing Vincent. I will see you all tomorrow with the next chapter. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	5. CHAPTER FOUR: SECOND HALLUCINATION PART ONE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night!
> 
> Hey, guys, I'm posting as promised and I really need to do this since I had a frustrating day with my client. Now, my client was on her best behavior, but there were other factors that left me REALLY frustrated. Anyway, time to go to the next location on the map…er, where did the map go?
> 
> Onward!

**CHAPTER FOUR: SECOND HALLUCINATION PART ONE**

*****

They had the first key and they were already exhausted from all the running and digging earlier, but they still had two more keys to find, and that meant going into two more hallucinations.

“All right,” Oli said. “Let's go. Where do we need to go now?"

"We need to go to the second location," Joey replied.

"The second…" Lele frowned. "Wait a second. Where's the map?”

Oli’s face paled since he was holding the map earlier. “I left the map!" He took off running. "Omigod!"

Before anyone could stop him, he disappeared back into the greenhouse. Moments later, he came right back out, waving the map in the air. “I got-" he began and he promptly tripped over his own feet and fell flat on the ground.

Lele snickered into her sleeve, Joey chortled, both Dawn and Benny laughed, and even Eva broken into a smile at the sight of Oli sprawled on the ground.

"Oli, you okay?" Joey asked asked as their friend picked himself up off the ground.

"Yo." Lele was still snickering. "Oli. Omigod."

Oli scrambled to his feet, brushing the dust from his suspenders. "I got it!"

"Are you all right?"

"Yes! Let's go!"

They started running once again. Joey, Dawn, and Lele took the lead with Benny following them, and Eva stuck like glue to Oli's side. "Seriously?" she chided him. "You've _got _to be more careful! You can't just go charging into dangerous places, Oli, you freakin' _scared _me!"

"Sorry," Oli apologized. "Doesn't matter now. We gotta get to where we're going."

"That was _insane, _guys," Joey gasped from up ahead.

"Guys!" Eva exclaimed, feeling hopeful. “If we work together, I think we can _all _make it out alive!” And the others agreed.

*****

The group ran through the trees, following the map, felt the same tingling sensation that was a sign that they’ve just entered the second hallucination, and then they saw something ahead that stopped them short.

“Wait!"

"Hold up!"

"What's going on?"

"Is that…" Lele asked, squinting. "Is that _Cleopatra_?”

“More like a ninja wearing a creepy fencing mask,” Benny guessed, and Dawn agreed.

A short distance away was a circle of giant boulders, each one covered with masks of various colors and shapes. A woman with a spiky, faceless mask on stood at the center of the circle, holding a samurai sword, and she did look like a creepy warrior goddess who wanted to kill everyone.

They cautiously moved closer to the circle of giant boulders, and hanging on one of them was a bunch of burlap sacks, and a note.

Joey read the note. “‘The face is really the mask and the mask is really the person. Unravel the five identities hidden behind the masks. One will lead to the next, and the order must be perfect, or else you will disturb the butcher of flesh. If an incorrect mask is taken from the wall, she will come for blood. To protect yourself from her deadly blade, you must be wearing a burlap sack’.”

“_This?_” Oli asked, yanking one of the sacks off the boulder.

“Yes," Joey replied. "Everyone grab one." And they all grabbed one of the burlap sacks off the boulder. Once they each had one, he read the rest of the note. “‘She will then take one and return to her station. When the next mistake happens, there will be one less sack for protection, and the guest without one will be violently removed from the hallucination. Begin with the demon who is dreaming’.”

Burlap sacks in hand, the group crept into the circle, keeping their distance from the deadly-looking woman, and began searching the masks for the right one. This wasn’t easy since there were _a lot _of masks to choose from.

“This looks like a demon," Joey said, pointing to a random mask, "but I don't know if he's sleeping. Or dreaming."

"When I think of dreams, I think of, like, a lot of colors," Eva muttered. She glanced at Joey's mask, immediately decided against it, and wandered over to the other side of the circle.

"Let's just try it," Joey insisted. "We have to try _something_.”

“Let’s keep looking,” Dawn suggested, not wanting to grab the wrong mask and get attacked by the sword-wielding woman.

Eva kept looking at the masks until she noticed one that was grey and looked a bit like the moon. “This one’s a moon,” she informed the others as they gathered around. “Guys. This is it. This is what we're looking for."

Lele shook her head. "How do you know it's dreaming? That's not a demon. That looks like a really nice person."

"Or that one," Joey suggested, pointing to the one he’d been considering. "I think it could be that one, actually."

"Really?" asked Lele.

Eva sighed, certain that she was right. "My guess is the moon one.”

Dawn looked between the two masks. “I’m with Eva, this moon one is more likely.”

“I guess…" Lele pointed to the mask that Joey chose. "This one."

Joey nodded. "Okay. Fine. I'm going to do it."

"Put the sacks on," Lele reminded them, and they all pulled on the burlap sacks.

Once they all had the masks on, Joey reached up and took the dark mask off the boulder. He checked inside, but there was nothing. He’d chose the wrong mask. “Crap!”

“Oh, for God's sake," Oli grumbled. "Oh, great.”

The “butcher of flesh" approached them. She examined them carefully, and then she turned to Benny and grabbed the sack off his head in one fluid motion.

_‘I am _so _screwed__,’ _Benny thought uneasily. If another mistake was made with any of the other masks, he was a goner for sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, THAT'S where the map went to. And poor Benny, he's now in trouble. Why couldn't they have just listed to Eva and choose the moon mask?
> 
> Ok, next update will be on Monday to see what happens next. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	6. CHAPTER FIVE: SECOND HALLUCINATION PART TWO

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night!
> 
> Time for part two and to see whether they can choose the right masks after making a mistake that leaves Benny in danger of being violently removed from the hallucination. Onward!

**CHAPTER FIVE: SECOND HALLUCINATION PART TWO**

*****

The group were in the second hallucination, where they had to find the right masks in order to obtain the second key, but if the wrong mask was chosen, then the “butcher of flesh” would come after them, and when Joey chose the wrong mask, she’d taken one of the burlap sacks they were using as protection off of Benny. Once this was done, she then returned to the center of the circle.

“Great,” Benny grumbled and turned to Joey, who’d taken off his own mask and was looking disappointed. “Joey, if being violently removed from the hallucination means I get killed, I’m gonna haunt you for the rest of your days.”

“Noted.”

“You know what,” Lele said, offering her sack to Benny. “I'm going to be a nice person. I'm going to give you this.”

Benny shook his head, although it was a tempting offer. “No, no. It's fine,” he assured her. “It's fine. You stay in.”

Joey was feeling like kicking himself. Thanks to him, Benny was now in danger with his sack having been taken, and if they screwed up again, he was a goner.

“All right,” Lele said with a shrug. “Let's try Eva's.”

Eva removed the moon mask from the boulder and checked the back, finding a note attached to it. “I got it!”

“We got it!" Joey cheered, his heart soaring. "We got it, guys!”

Eva read the note. “‘Music plays, the dancers pose, and the liar's nose grows’.”

Joey immediately knew which mask it was and he quickly grabbed a mask with a long nose off the boulder before anyone could react. “I know it! It’s this one!”

“You sure?” Benny asked nervously.

“This one has musical notes and a long nose," Joey explained, trying not to think about what's going to happen if he was wrong. He checked the back of it and found a note. "Yes! Okay! It has one!” He then read the note. “‘Forged in hate, I am the vessel of your nightmares, the protector of your fears’.” He thought about that. “Protector. Think of protection. Like…think of something…armor. I feel like _that _one could be it." He pointed at a Skrull-shaped mask. "Look at it. It's like…very…”

Lele snatched it off the boulder before he finished and she waved it in the air since it had a note on the back. “Yes!”

Dawn took the mask from her and she read the note. “‘As you burn in the depths of hell, demons will spread your ashes’. Yeesh, who comes up with this stuff?”

Eva immediately pointed at a mask that fit the description in the note. “This one looks burnt,” she said, and the black mask really did look like it been caught in the aftermath of a forest fire. "Look. Like a tree that's burnt.”

Lele pointed to a different mask. “_That _one looks burnt.”

Although Eva was insistent that she was right, Joey went to grab the mask that Lele was pointing at, and they all quickly put on their sacks, saved for Benny, who was hoping that he wasn’t going to die at the sword of the deadly woman.

Joey grabbed the mask off the boulder and cursed when he didn’t see a note on the back. “No!”

“Aw _crap!_” Benny groaned as the samurai advanced toward him. “Dammit, Joey!”

“I’m sorry!”

“No, no, no, no, _no__!_” Benny screamed as the sword swung toward him – and then there was a flash of light, and he found himself nearly colliding with the front door of the house. He was on the porch! “Ok, so _that’s _what violently being removed from the hallucination means,” he mumbled, leaning against the door to catch his breath.

*****

Back in the circle, the group was frozen in place as Benny disappeared in a flash of golden light, and the woman returned to the center of the circle. It was just like when Tim and Matt had disappeared, but did that mean that Benny had gone to that room, or was he really dead?

“Guys,” Eva snapped, yanking the sack off her head, glaring at them, especially at Joey. “I _know _which one it is.”

“Oh, _now_ you know which one it is," Joey snapped.

"I knew which one it was the _whole time!_” Eva screamed at him, grabbing the octopus-looking mask and shoving it in his face. "I said 'this is what happens when it burns.' Maybe if you just _listened _to me-”

Dawn got between them, shoving them apart. “Enough!” she snapped. “We _already _lost Benny, and I rather we not lose _anyone _else. Ok? Now that you got the right mask” she glanced at the samurai to be sure “what does it say?”

“‘I'll be your second skin, but of dark and wild nature…’” Eva read and they all started looking around.

While Joey was considering a smiling white mask, which Lele highly doubt was the right mask, Dawn noticed one that was just above her that looked like a dark blue wolf. “Guys, I think it’s this one,” she said, trying to reach it. “Dang it! I _hate _being short.” She was startled when Oli suddenly gave her a lift up. “Oh!” She grabbed the mask, saw that it had a note, and she cheered as he put her back on the ground. “Yes! It’s the right one!”

They gathered around and Joey read the note. “‘I hear with no ears. I see with no eyes. I taste with no tongue. I kiss with no lips’.” He raised his eyebrows. “That's, like, a faceless mask. What the hell?”

They looked around at the remaining masks, but they all had eyes, noses, mouths, and a few even had ears. _None _of them looked to be faceless at all.

Eva noted the mask that the samurai was wearing, and it was completely hiding her face. “Like that?”

“Like what?” Oli asked.

“Like _her _mask!” Eva insisted, staring at the spiky mask. “Think about it. All of the masks have eyes and mouths and whatnot. The only one that doesn't…"

Joey nodded. "I think you're right, Eva. I think that might be the last mask. Let's do it.” He cautiously approached the samurai while the others pulled on the sacks to be safe, and he carefully slid the mask off her head-

“Oh, shit!"

“Oh crap!”

"Oh, God!"

"Oh, _hell _no!”

The samurai had _no mouth! _Where the mouth was suppose to be was just seamless skin, and her dark eyes were glaring at them as she started toward them, raising the sword.

“Where's the key?" Joey squeaked, still clutching the spiky mask.

Eva gulped. "I think we need to run." And they bolted for the edge of the circle.

Unfortunately, before Lele could get very far, the samurai charged at her, ripped off her sack, and sliced at her middle. There was a flash of gold light – and the next thing she knew, she was on the front porch.

"You too, huh?” Benny asked and he laughed when she hugged him tightly. “Well, at least we’re not dead.”

Lele laughed. “Yeah, and listen. “Eva, Dawn, Oli, and Joey…they've got it all done. Sword chick has no mouth. They're getting the key. They're almost out of there."

"She has no _what?_” Benny asked, confused.

"I'll explain later,” Lele promised. “Come on. We need to find the others.”

*****

Back in the circle, Joey, Dawn, Eva, and Oli could only watch as Lele disappeared in the same flash of golden light, and they fled the circle, avoiding the blade of the samurai just barely.

*****

They returned to the house and they returned to the living room, out of breath, freaking out by what had just happen.

“Omigod! That was _so _crazy!” Joey gasped, still clutching the spiky mask.

“That was _bloody _insane, that’s what it was!” Oli exclaimed, sinking onto the nearest couch. “Bloody hell.”

“Where’s Lele and Benny?” Dawn asked, looking around for their missing friends. “Shouldn’t they be here by now?” And that’s when both Benny and Lele ran into the living room. “Yay!” And they all did hugs, relieved to be together again.

Benny nodded to the mask that Joey was holding. “Does it have anything inside?"

"I don't know," Joey admitted, turning it over. "Is there a key in there?” He reached inside and pulled out both a key and a note. “Whoa! Ok!” And he grinned from ear to ear. They had the second key!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sheesh, why is it so hard for them to listen to Eva? Oh well, no one has died and they have the second key.
> 
> All right, next update will be tomorrow and I will see you all then. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	7. CHAPTER SIX: THE FINAL HALLUCINATION

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night!
> 
> Two keys have been found and there's just one key left to find so that the survivors can free Vincent and be one step closer to getting back to 2016. Onward!

**CHAPTER SIX: THE FINAL HALLUCINATION**

*****

They had the second key, having obtained it from a scary woman with a sword, and they knew that they were closer to freeing Vincent, and that also meant that they were also one step closer to returning to 2016.

Joey unfolded the note that’d been with the key and read it. “‘The final hallucination is buried in the darkest part of Vincent's psyche. Unlike the others, the consequence for failure now is pain and death’.” He exchanged uneasy looks with his friends before he resumed reading, dreading that he already knew what this would mean. “‘Three of you must be selected by vote to sit in the chairs of a madman. Then, those three must select a partner of the opposite gender to aid them. You will find the hallucination waiting for you in the basement’.” He groaned. “I don’t want to choose anyone.”

“Neither do I,” Dawn agreed unhappily. “There’s only six of us left, and what’s the point since that means that someone will _die_.”

“You know what?” Lele asked harshly, clearly having reached her breaking point. “I don't have anything against you guys. I'm going to vote for myself."

"What?"

"You heard me.”

Joey stared at the blonde, but what she said was making sense. Every vote had been against those that had either been considered weak or working with the evil. But it was time for that kind of voting to end. “What if we _all _put our own name in and…we just…" he trailed off.

"Let the house vote," Lele finished, and Joey nodded.

"Yeah," Oli agreed.

Benny and Dawn both agreed, too. “Might as well.”

Eva smiled. "I like that.”

They then each wrote down their own names and placed them in the hat before sitting down to wait. Arthur shook the hat harder then usual and he took out the first slip of paper, reading the name.

“Lele.”

Lele shuddered. “I _hate _that basement.”

Arthur shook the hat a second time and chose the second name. “Benny.”

Benny shrugged. “It was bound to happen.”

Arthur shook the hat a third time, chose a piece of paper out of it, and read the name. “Oli.”

“They hate us tonight,” Lele grumbled. “Now I have to choose an opposite-sex partner?” she asked, glancing at the butler.

“Yes,” Arthur confirmed. “Pick a partner.”

Lele nodded, figuring as much and looked at Joey, who was the only guy left in the room beside Benny and Oli. “Obviously, I choose Joey.”

“Well, I would _think _that I was a boy," Joey said with a grin. "So thank you for choosing me.”

“Oli, you can have Eva,” said Benny and he took Dawn’s hand into his own. “I already know who my partner is.” And this got some chuckles that broke the tension that was in the room a little.

As they stood, Oli had something to say to them all. “Guys…I'm just gonna say…whatever happens…you know…you've been good.” And they all did an impulsive hug for what could be the very last time before following Arthur to the basement once again.

*****

The way to the basement felt even longer then the last time they had gone down there to find the priest. They followed Arthur through the hallway until they reached a door, which he opened, and they entered a large room that had three electric chairs connected to a machine on a platform. At the base of the chairs were boxes with five metal rods sticking out of them.

“Oh no,” Dawn moaned, recognizing the machine between the chairs, and didn’t object when Benny put a supporting arm around her shoulders. “It’s electroshock therapy. This bad, this is _very _bad.” She knew that electroshock therapy had improved since it was first invented, but given that they were in the 1920s, this wasn’t the improved version that they would be dealing with.

“Oh look,” said Lele, pointing to a note that was waiting for them on a table, and she didn’t object when Joey began massaging her shoulders to calm her down.

Eva read the note. “‘My name is Dr. Price, and I have developed a unique treatment for overcoming hallucinations. Each voted-for guest needs to take a seat in their respective learning chair. Their partner must then lock them into the chair by securing the straps. Located across from the learning chairs are crates containing metal rings. Each of you must stand across from your partner, behind the chalk mark on the floor, and toss the rings into the five electrical rods. Missed rings will give their partner a little shock. The first guest to have three rings around any of the electrical rods will complete the circuit and cure their partner's hallucinations. However, the guests who failed to learn will suffer a severe shock, which will end their lives. You have thirty minutes before the chairs short-circuit on their own, killing all three guests. The timer will start as soon as all three guests are securely fastened into their chairs. Good luck’.”

“Yeah, sure,” Lele said sarcastically. “Good luck.”

Joey turned her to face her. “Lele. Listen to me,” he said seriously. “Nothing is going to happen to you. I'll get you out of here in one piece. I promise.”

“I can’t do this,” Dawn moaned, staring at the chairs. “This is wrong.”

“Donny, look at me,” Benny said and she did. “This _needs _to be done, even though it _is _wrong. No matter what happens here, some of us are going to make it out of this place, and that’s what’s important right now.”

Dawn nodded uneasily and they went to the chairs, where Joey locked Lele into the chair on the left, Dawn locked Benny into the chair in the center, and Eva locked Oli in the chair on the left. They then went back to the table, where they stood next to the crates full of rings, and Arthur started the timer before leaving them in the room.

Grabbing up rings, the trio began tossing them toward the rods, and each time one of them missed, the other trio received an electric shock, making them cry out in pain as their nerves were inflamed, and Lele let out a string of curses each time. Oli and Benny were doing their best to encourage Eva and Dawn, while Lele was cursing Joey each time he failed to get a ring around one of the rods, and each time, the electric shocks were getting worse.

Eventually Eva managed to get a ring onto one of the rods, and both she and Oli cheered. Benny was still encouraging Dawn, who gritted her teeth, and she managed to get a ring over one of the rods, too.

“Come _on, _Joey!" Lele wailed.

Joey was getting _really _frustrated that he was missing the rods, and he was worried that he would lose Lele just like he lost Justine. _‘No,’ _he told himself. _‘No, I’m gonna save her. I _will_!’ _He tossed a ring at the same time as Eva and Dawn, and while the girls missed, resulting in Benny and Oli both getting shocks, he’d managed to land his ring around one of the rods. “I got one!” he cheered. “Lele! I got one! I got one!”

*****

There were only fifteen minutes left on the timer and by that point, Eva, Dawn, and Joey all managed to get a second ring each, but it was getting increasingly harder since they had to bend over in order to toss the rings across the room, and they were getting worn out. It didn’t help that each miss was resulting in hurting their friends, and they were all on their last chance to get a third ring on one of the remaining rods.

Both Dawn and Joey were reaching for more rings when Eva tossed a ring and it caught on one of the remaining rods, and she completed the circuit. Oli was relieved to see that he was going to survive, and then realization hit them all at the same time.

“Benny!”

“Lele!”

“You did the best you could, guys,” Benny said right before the electricity increased, zapping both him and Lele.

Dawn and Joey both sank to their knees, unable to look away as their friends were electrocuted right before their eyes. They had _failed, _and both Lele and Benny were now dead. Eva and Oli were both cringing as the electricity fried their friends. When it was done, Eva first helped Dawn and then Joey onto their feet just as a jar on a table behind Oli light up, revealing both a brain and a key.

“You see that, right?" Eva asked.

"The key," Joey said, wiping away his tears with one hand. "The key. The key. The key."

"Get the key!” Eva ordered. “I'm gonna get Oli out." She then went to Oli and struggled to free him from the chair. "Oli…"

While Eva fussed over Oli, Joey and Dawn went to examine the disgusting jar. "What is this? What the hell?" He fished the key out, pushing his fingers past the brain in the process. "Ew…ugh…ew…" But he managed to get it out.

"That's the last key," Dawn said, struggling to smile, but it was hard after seeing two friends get killed in front of her.

"Let's go," Joey said, refusing to remain in that room any longer with their dead friends. "Come on." He wrapped an arm around Dawn’s shoulders and supported her out of the room.

"Oli," Eva moaned, helping the shellshocked Brit out of the room. "Come on, Oli. Let's go.”

Once they were gone, a final round of electricity hit both Benny and Lele’s bodies one last time before finally powering down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RIP Lele and Benny. Man, I will admit writing that final death challenge scene was hard for me, and I wasn't thrilled to kill off Benny like that either. I will see you all tomorrow with the final chapter. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	8. CHAPTER SEVEN: TRICKED!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night!
> 
> It's time for the final chapter and to free Vincent from that straitjacket. Also, because a new episode for Season 4 is going to be uploaded today, and if you happen to see it before I do, please don't post any spoilers in the comments ok? Thanks.
> 
> Now, time to end the episode. Onward!

**CHAPTER SEVEN: TRICKED!**

*****

It was a broken quartet that left the basement and went back up to the second floor. Oli was dealing with the physical pain of having been a human lightning rod while Eva, Dawn, and Joey were dealing with the emotional pain of having been responsible for the death of two more friends. Benny and Lele were dead, and their deaths were on the heads of Joey and Dawn.

*****

They entered the bedroom once again, this time with the keys to free Vincent, and this time, Arthur entered the room with them.

“Where is he?” Joey muttered, wanting this long night to be over and done with, and he spotted Vincent next to the mirror, and he held up the keys as the man turned to face them. “We got the keys. Come on."

"Please," Vincent moaned, turning his back so that they could reach the locks. "Please don't tease me."

"No," Eva assured him.

Joey handed a key each to Dawn and Oli, and the three of them went to work on unlocking the locks. “I got the bottom one,” he said and sighed with relief when all three locks were opened. “There we go. Thank God.” They pulled the straitjacket off of Vincent, letting it dropped to the floor, and they backed away.

Vincent kept his back to them for several seconds before he turned around, and the expression on his face was that of relief and joy. “I'm free,” he said, both relieved and bewildered. “My hallucinations are gone.” He smiled gratefully at the quartet, and they were smiling in return since they had really helped in freeing him.

_‘I’m really free,’ _Vincent thought, smiling for the first time in a _very _long time. He was still looking gratefully at the four young people, especially the brunette, when he noticed someone was behind them, and his expression turned cold, for he recognized this person as the one who’d tortured him _repeatedly _about his hallucinations, wanting information that only he could give. “_You._”

The quartet were confused and exchanged looks. Was Vincent talking about one of them? Did he know who was in league with the evil?

Vincent shook his head, now looking at the quartet sadly. “I don't envy the road that lies ahead of you,” he told them regretfully. “The owner of this house…is a _monster._” An angry expression etched itself across his face as he glared at the person behind them, and his tone turned angry, too. "You can have it all. The house…the _hallucinations_…the _madness_…”

Arthur suddenly pushed past Eva and Oli, and confronted Vincent. “That will be _all, _Vincent!” he snarled with a voice filled with deadly promise.

Vincent just shook his head. “You don't _control _me anymore," he snapped at Arthur. "I _tried _to warn you, but you didn't listen,” he added to the quartet, who were looking surprised and confused, and he moved away from the butler and toward the door.

They were confused at first, but then they recalled the note that Oli had found shortly after the retrieval of the first artifact. _`“You've been warned. One among you is in league with the evil of the house.”`_

“Oh my God,” Dawn whispered as the puzzle pieces fell into place, revealing a _very _disturbing picture. “This whole time. Arthur… he’s – _he’s _the final owner!”

_‘Vincent tried to warn us when this all started,’ _Joey thought, staring at the butler, who wasn’t denying what was being said. _‘Vincent tried to warn us about Arthur. About _him _being in league with the evil this _entire _time!’_

Vincent looked sadly at them. He knew that he was freed, but they were still in danger, and there was _nothing _that he could do to help them, except give them one last piece of advice that he hoped that they would take it seriously this time.

“If I were you,” he advised, “I’d run.” And he left the room, disappearing from view.

Oli realized that Vincent was right and he began pushing Joey, Dawn, and Eva toward the doorway. “Run!” he screamed. “Go! _Run!_” And they all fled the room, running for the stairs.

Arthur watched them go and shook his head as he chuckled. Yes, he _was _disappointed when Vincent called him out like that, doing what the priest hadn’t had the nerve to do earlier in the basement after having his faith restored. He’d expected them to figure it out by way of the journal, but it was probably better this way, and the time for pretend and for games was _finally _over.

_‘Thanks to them,’ _he thought smugly, heading for the doorway. _‘I now have _everything _that I need for the final phase of my plan. Thank you, Joey, Dawn, Eva, and Oli. You all have been _very _helpful, and I have the perfect reward for you all.’_

Arthur then headed out of the bedroom to go downstairs, but he wasn’t in a rush to catch up with the four young people, for he knew that they weren’t going to get out of the house _that _easy.

No, he was ready for the chance that they would run after learning the truth about him being the final owner, and boy did he have something _grand _planned for them.

Oh yes, he had something _very _grand in stored for Joey, Dawn, Eva, and Oli.

It was time for the game to end.

To Be Continued…

*****

_I have so many, so many regrets._

_So many lies, so many broken ties._

_I wish for my old life._

_Wish I could fix my strike._

_Cause no one truly escapes the night._

_Oh, won't you help me escape the night._

_Oh baby help me escape the night._

_Escape the night._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good news is that Vincent is free. The bad news is that Arthur has been in league with the Evil this ENTIRE TIME! Who saw that coming?
> 
> Anyway, I will see you all tomorrow with the start of the final episode for Season 1. Bye for now! R&R everyone!

**Author's Note:**

> Poor, Vincent. It isn't his fault that something is messing with his visions and driving him insane. Yeah, I feel sorry for Vincent. I will see you all tomorrow with the next update. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


End file.
